Story Development Notes

These are some notes for story development, written by me.

Part 1, Final Bosses with Amazing Names
The Embodiment of Sin!
A name that sounds really amazing is not always a sound choice for story and plot development. It sounds cool, but it can go horribly wrong, or turn out as intended with careful planning. When you're going for a really amazing name for a final boss, you're picturing that amazing boss in your head. Well, people can't see what you're picturing in your mind, so you'll need to explain it to the audience through story and plot development.

How I would use a cool name that could go wrong:
How can this name be tagged to an enemy/NPC/or character to work as intended? I see this type of name as a transformation(Exdeath transforming into Neo-Exdeath); that said, it would work. It however wouldn't work if the "Embodiment of Sin" were the last boss that you meet and were only meet him at the end of the game. FFIII and FFIV are prime examples of this, more so FFIV. In both games, you only hear about the main antagonists at the end of the game. This is a really bad idea for plot development as it really diminsishes the "umph" you seek with a name you deem as "amazing".

I would have a main antagonist that periodically shows up throughout the game and attempts to twart the heroes change into the Embodiment of Sin. To really show this final forms power and strength, have the main antagonist obtain this form legitimately. I'm referring to him gaining some form of a power upgrade through out the game.
Kefka is a prime example of this in FFVI where he constantly interacts with the story, twarts the characters journey and ultimately ascends into God-hood through the use of the "Warring Triad". While he doesn't necessarily have a "second form" as I mention above where the antagonist transforms while in battle (like Exdeath), he does have his
God-form.

Part 2, Non-Linear Stories
How to turn a linear story into a non-linear work of art using the same plot!
Almost all the Final Fantasy games to date are linear based, and that's fine; however, it diminishes replayability significantly. Simply put, you know the story after you complete it.

How I would convert a linear story into non-linear, and retain all the plot elements, and story.
To maintain the existing linear plot, but spice it up by making it non-linear, I'd take advantage of "multiple storylines" Once a player starts a new game, he can choose a character whom would start at a different location at the game and ultimately have a different story line. I'd have character pathways cross sometime during the plot and possibly have them interact with each other.

For more information, click the spoiler tags below to see how setting up multiple storylines can be done effectively.
I didn't write what's in the spoiler tabs, I got it here

Spoiler (Click to View)

Having multiple points of view will make the gameplay richer, but it's not easy. How do I pull this off?
This is what I've done so far:

1. Create a separate outline for each character in a word document.
2. Write each scene on a card.
3. Lay all the cards out on the floor and organize them so the character's lives intersect in a way that's coherent.
4. Write the book the way I've organized it.

These steps weren't so bad. It's the revision part that gets tricky. I'm trying to make sure each story is fully developed and can stand on its own. When I read through the book, I'm working with so much information that it's next to impossible to give each my individual attention.

I've added a few more steps. The process is an experiment and it makes me nervous, but I think it'll work:

5. Separate all the scenes into three word documents, one for each character.
6. Work on each document one at a time. Develop each story line enough that if they were three different books, they'd be complete and satisfying.
7. Reweave the stories the way I originally organized them.

Part 3, Plot References, and Reoccurring Characters
Whether you use choose the non-linear route and go with multiple-storylines, it's always a great idea to have reoccurring characters and plot references.
If you're a Final Fantasy enthusiast, then you have probably heard of Biggs, Wedge, and Cid. They're all examples of reoccurring characters; however, they're not storyline reoccurring characters. Ultros on the other-hand is a reoccurring character that affects the storyline as he constantly shows up throughout the story as a comic relief.
If you're using "multiple-storylines" as your narrative, then it's a very good idea to use plot references. A plot reference is something that happens in one storyline that also shows up in another. An example is this is "X character" starts in the town of "Mir", while somewhere down the line of "Y character's" storyline, you visit Mir. "X character" isn't in Mir anymore as he or she has departed from his starting town, although, the player will associate the town with "X character". This gives a bit of lore to the town and is an amazing plot reference. You could even go as far as to have a random NPC say something like "Have you seen X-character, he's quite the hero of Mir!"

Part 4, Knowing Your Character, and showing the Audience!
When you have multiple storylines intersect, you can show a characters personality better than if it were a linear storyline. I can best explain this in a scenario. This little scenario is about knowing the character "Jack".
Their are 4 characters named Jack, Jessie, Jezibel and John. Jack has a playful personality whereas Jessie whom is his best friend usually keeps him inline. In this scene, you just found out that Jezibel is the daughter of John. Jack and John are sitting down fishing when suddenly Jezibel and Jessie walk up to them and Jezibel says that Jessie has something to say to John. They both turn to face the two girls when suddenly, Jezibel pulls Jack away by the ear while he kicks and screams playfully. Jessie and John keep staring at each other and begin to talk.
Meanwhile, Jezibel and John are in the woods behind them watching. Jack overhears what it's all about and begins to crack up for no good reason. He then runs off to go tell the rest of his friends and Jezibel chases him.

In an alternate storyline while you're playing Jack's story, he might not do this which would show his morale compass. It's the "multiple dimensions" theory where you may walk straight while your alternate self from another dimension deviates from the straight path; however, you both get to the same destination. The point of this explanation is by showing the audience both decisions, you're ultimately showing his personality by showing his destination. You're showing that he can remain calm in a serious situation.

Reserved post.